February 10, 2007
Amateur Comic Review: Week of 2.7.2007
I've been meaning to do this for years now, a look at the comics I pick up each week. I played with the idea of doing quick reviews of every book, but between Ensie and I we ended up with over a dozen. So we'll stick with just a sample.
52 Week 40: A little ironic, I'll admit, that the finale to my least favorite 52 storyline (Steel and his idiot niece) turns out to be one of the more enjoyable issues of this sprawling title. It isn't perfect; Chris Batista's art is noticeably rushed and there are a couple oddball moments in the dialog, but the Steel versus Super Luthor fight is worth it.
Action Comics Annual #10: I'm not entirely sure when annuals came back, and I'm not entirely sure why they did, but here we are. This is a sort of odds and sods collection, all written by Geoff Johns and Richard Donner. Each of these vignettes set up a different portion of the Johns/Donner run on Action Comics, which has hit the wall after the first two issues. While one has to wonder just what has happened there, this really works as an annual. Nothing is vital to the main title, but it stands on it's own. This is worth owning, if just for the two-page spread look at the Fortress of Solitude.
Detective Comics #828: Each month Paul Dini does nothing but put out the perfect Batman comic. This is no different, and we get the added benefit of Batman punching out sharks.
Shazam!: The Monster Society of Evil: Captain Marvel has always been just a bit too goofy for the modern DC universe. The magic word, the family, the talking tiger... hell, his sidekick is named Captain Marvel, Jr. for crissakes. While DC has restructured the character for the main universe, this Jeff Smith version is pure, unadulterated CC Beck-style goofy. Smith, the creator of Bone, plays with the mythos a little bit, and the result is actually a little bit darker than expected. The result is a little uneven but certainly worthwhile.
Welcome to Tranquility: Gail Simone's odd little series about a superhero retirement community continues to impress. This issue introduces the retiree's super-powered grandchildren the Liberty Snots. Yes, you read that right. While none are as immediately recognizable as the Emoticon (the character find of 2007!), they play pretty realistically. This, along with the like minded alt-superhero book Invincible is the Missus' favorite book.
Ultimate Spider-Man #105: Really, when a storyline goes 8 full issues, you really need to add an epilogue at the end. Brian Michael Bendis is the master of decompressed storylines, and the Clone Sage proved that. And proved it again. And again.
Uncanny X-Men #483: Speaking of decompression, this is part 9 of Ed Brubaker's sprawling Rise and Fall of the Shi'ar Empire, which is itself a sequel to his X-Men: Deadly Genesis limited series. As you might expect, there is a lot going on here. While laughably long, this story has been solid, even though I still can't care about Vulcan.
X-Men Annual #1: Again with the annual. Telling that this is the first annual for a book that's been around for 17 years. Regular series writer and pinch-hit artist Mark Brooks use this as a way to wrap up a couple dangling storylines from the regular book. Plus this issue brings back Exodus, one of those classically bad 90's X-villains, mullet and all. This is a pretty enjoyable issue nonetheless, as Exodus and a motley crew (all of which were introduced in the early-90's, which I just realized) attack a SHIELD helicarrier. Carey deserves some credit for utilizing current Marvel issues like Decimation and Civil War, which have been completely ignored elsewhere in the X-universe.
Best of the Week: Shazam! The Monster Society of Evil
Posted by Frinklin at February 10, 2007 09:50 PM | TrackBack